


sacrifice your queen

by cosmicpoet



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, pregame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 15:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14311914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicpoet/pseuds/cosmicpoet
Summary: Before the game begins, Shirogane tries to understand Akamatsu.





	sacrifice your queen

Shirogane stares at Akamatsu, breaking beyond the mirror at the end of the hallway to speak to her protagonist. She sees the makeup team, the hairdressers, fiddling away with Akamatsu’s complexion and blonde hair; she wishes she could tell them that she is perfect as she is, but the terror of the word _mastermind_ halts her in her tracks, sticking in her throat like bile. Instead, she just approaches the dressing table.

“Are you glad you picked me?” Akamatsu says, boldly.

“Without doubt,” Shirogane replies.

“Why?”

“Why do you care? You won’t be… _you._ In a few days, you won’t even remember yourself.”

“Plain curiosity,” Akamatsu, and something in her words sticks in Shirogane’s throat. _Plain._ Akamatsu, she thinks, is anything but plain – she erudes fire and passion, and of course, she’s cynical, but so are most of the applicants to Danganronpa; the difference with Akamatsu is that she still has a burning brightness within her.

“I guess I understand,” Shirogane says, “but I’m the mastermind. You’ll end up hating me. After all the memory-erase shit…you’ll hate me, at the end of it all.”

“Nah,” Akamatsu replies, nonchalantly, “it’s more than that. Sure, your team made me protagonist, but I’m gonna be ruthless. I just…I’m gonna stand by you in the final trial and smile when you destroy everyone. Who knows…maybe they’ll let me get executed in your place. Ironic. The mastermind’s lover facing death.”

“I…I’ve never heard of that plot point before.”

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you haven’t met me before.”

The stylists pause, walking away, leaving the two girls alone. Shirogane runs a hand through Akamatsu’s hair, poking the freshly made spike at the top.

“What if you die, Akamatsu?”

“That’ll never happen. They can poke at my personality and shit, but they can’t change, like, the root of who I am. I don’t give a shit about anything – shove me in a killing game and I’ll just go with the flow. Trust me, I’ll be the best right-hand woman you can wish for.”

“I…I don’t know what they’re going to do with your character,” Shirogane says, “I don’t have full control over that.”

“Stop panicking. You barely know me, anyway. And in a few days, I won’t even be _me_ anymore. Just chill.”

“I suppose.”

“Anyway,” Akamatsu says, her voice thick with a kind of bitter passion that Shirogane, despite working for Team Danganronpa, has never heard before, “look at that guy over there. Tiny, spiky purple hair – he’s a born and bred antagonist. And him – the one with black hair and the cap, he’s definitely gonna be an anxious wildcard. Look, Shirogane, I can define all of these people easily. I don’t believe in a single one of them. Except…you.”

“You…believe in me?”

“Not exactly. I’m not specifically invested in your life, but you’re…interesting. And we’d work well together.”

“How do you know?”

“’Cause I see myself in you. That burning desire to just…get your hands inside everyone’s brains, twist and pull and make them something different. Fuck up humanity, y’know? It’s amazing.”

“I…I’m starting to see why you applied.”

“Don’t pretend like you can read me,” Akamatsu says, “I’m nothing like any of you think. The only person who’s got close to understanding me is you, and…you’re still far off. “

“Look, Akamatsu…they’re gonna erase your memory of applying tomorrow morning. You won’t remember this conversation. You won’t remember me…not like this, anyway. So just come to my room, yeah? Let’s at least talk properly, away from all these prying eyes, just for one night?”

“I could do that.”

As Shirogane leads Akamatsu silently away from the stylists, she grips tighter on her hand; there’s something so damn fleeting about this moment. It hurts her to think that she will remember every beautiful detail of this, but Akamatsu will remember nothing – her memories will be ripped and pinched and changed and _hurt,_ whilst Shirogane herself will remain stuck, aching in the truth of the situation. Perhaps it is better for Akamatsu to live a lie; she can become a different person, and Shirogane will always remain the same. Chained by the role she plays. But aren’t they all?

Sat on Shirogane’s bed, Akamatsu gently holds her hand, not quite blushing, but flustered a little nonetheless.

“I don’t want to forget you,” she says.

“You won’t. I mean…you will…but you’ll get to know me again. Like you said…we’ll be a duo.”

“I want that. I think…I just want _you._ I know I applied to this absolute mess and everything, but…I just want to make you happy, now.”

“Then leave. Just run. Fuck the contract, just go.”

“I can’t. I promised myself I’d do this, and I don’t go back on my word. But…you’re the only person who’s really made me feel… _anything…_ since forever.”

“I wish I could have met you before all this.”

“You’d still be a mastermind though, Shirogane. You’re born for it. I can see Enoshima running through your veins.”

“I…don’t want to be her,” Shirogane says, sadly, “I want to be…I don’t know. I just…I want to impress people.”

“Well, you’ve impressed me. Even before the game has started. Just think of all the wonderful things we can do together!”

“What if you get hurt?”

“Come on, Shirogane, I’m smarter than that. I won’t get hurt! I’m cunning, like you. We’ll work together, yeah? I’ll protect you, and you protect me.”

“I’ll…protect you?”

“Yeah, ‘course you will! I’m gonna be the one everyone trusts, the beautiful sweetheart protagonist, and you can use me however you want. We’ll break their hearts, and make the audience cry.”

“I...I’ll use you?”

“Yeah. I’m _letting_ you.”

“But that’s not…I mean…you’re still…”

“Still what?” Akamatsu scoffs.

“Still…human.”

“Fuck that. I applied for a reason. And I want to be infamous. You…me…we’ll be _infamous.”_

“I can’t believe,” Shirogane says, “that I just wanted a quiet life before all this. I guess everyone’s got motivations, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But I’ll be by your side. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Me too,” Akamatsu says, “we’re a team.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this! It was written for my wonderfully talented friend Lusca on twitter! She drew my OC, and she's just such a kind and good person! Check out her twitter and art [here](https://twitter.com/lsgndry)!
> 
> Please leave a comment if you liked! And have a lovely day :D


End file.
